System and apparatus for the pre-automation of the installations of a building

ABSTRACT

A system monitor sensors which control actuating elements in a building. The supervision unit essentially collects information from the sensors and controls the actuating elements. A precable system in the building connects the supervision unit to input/output connections of a plurality of interconnection devices. The plurality of interconnection devices each include a plurality of terminal boards connected to the sensors and actuating elements through a first set of cables. A microprocessor has a portion of the I/O connections connected to the terminal board through a second set of cables, transmitting signals between the actuating elements, sensors and the supervision unit.

In general, the invention concerns the automation of buildings and, moreparticularly, a system allowing the pre-automation of industrial,tertiary, or other buildings to make it possible subsequently to installvarious equipment and installations.

Conventional practice includes equipping industrial, tertiary, or otherbuildings with pre-cabling systems which make it possible to install ata later time computer of telephone equipment. These pre-cabling systemscomprise passive elements such as cables, sockets, distributing frames,terminal boards, pre-cabling trusses, supports, etc.

More and more, industrial, tertiary, and other buildings compriseequipment and installations to ensure the technical and administrativemanagement thereof in the fields of air-conditioning, security,access-control, and the management of scheduling and visitors. Thesefacilities and installations include sensors which, in each of the areasmentioned, supply information to a dedicated automaton which elaboratessignals controlling actuating elements belonging to the same field andlocated at different sites within the building. Furthermore, each pieceof equipment or installation is provided with a supervision unit whichcentralizes the information and monitors it, this unit possibly beingshared by installations.

Of course, each of the pieces of equipment and installations may bepre-cabled in a manner analogous to that of computer and telephoneequipment, but each piece of equipment has a different pre-cablednetwork comprising only passive elements, such as cables and terminalboards.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One of the purposes of the invention under consideration is thus toproduce a device for the pre-automation of an industrial, tertiary, orother building, which makes it possible to supervise all or a part ofthe sensors and actuating elements in at least one area of managementlocated in a particular zone of the building.

Another purpose of the present invention lies in producing a system forpre-automation of an industrial, tertiary, or other building, comprisingseveral pre-automation devices distributed in the building and which areconnected to each other and to at least one supervision unit by apre-cabling network.

The invention relates to a device for pre-automation for theinstallations of an industrial, tertiary, or other building to beconnected to a specific number of sensors and actuating elements andcharacterized by the fact that it comprises at least one terminal boardprovided to be connected by cables to said different types of sensorsand actuating elements, a microprocessor, and an inputs/outputs circuit,in order to connect the terminal board to the microprocessor.

The invention further concerns a system for pre-automation of thevarious installations in an industrial, tertiary, or other building,which comprises a unit for supervision of said installations,characterized by the fact that it comprises a plurality ofpre-automation devices which are distributed in said building, and apre-cabling network to connect said pre-automation apparatuses to saidsupervision unit.

Other purposes, characteristics, and advantages of the present inventionemerge from a reading of the following description of one embodimentthereof, said description being provided in relation to the attacheddrawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a functional diagram of a system for pre-automation of theinstallations of an industrial, tertiary, or other building according tothe invention;

FIGS. 2 and 3 are functional diagrams of a pre-automation deviceaccording to the invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the star-configured and bus cabling of apre-automation device, and

FIG. 5 is a view illustrating a pre-automation device according to theinvention mounted on a pre-cabling support.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In FIG. 1, a pre-automation system according to the invention for theinstallations of an industrial, tertiary, or other building comprises anetwork of cables 10 which is designed to connect a supervision unit 11to pre-automation devices 12₁, 12₂ . . . 12_(n), numbering n which areproduced in accordance with the invention. Each pre-automation device12₁, to 12_(n), is connected respectively to sensors and actuatingelements referenced as 13₁, to 13_(n).

Each pre-automation device 12 comprises at least (FIGS. 2 and 3) oneterminal board 14, 14', whose terminals are connected, on the one hand,as indicated by conductors 15, 15', to sensors 13 and to actuatingelements 13', and, on the other hand, by conductors 16, 16', to ancircuit 17. The circuit 17 comprises an inputs/outputs circuit 18, whichis connected, on the one hand, to the terminals 14, 14' and, on theother, to a microprogrammed unit 19 such as a microprocessor.

The inputs-outputs circuit 18 is also connected to the supervision unit11 (FIG. 1) by the cable network of cables 10. Furthermore, themicroprocessor 19 may be connected to a portable computer 20 by a cable21.

The inputs/outputs circuit 18 is provided to be connected, by means ofthe terminal board 14, to sensors 13_(a), 13_(b) (FIG. 4) by conductors22_(a), 27_(a) and 22_(b), 27_(b) in a star configuration, and tosensors 13_(x) 13_(y) and 13_(z), in series by a bus 23, 30.

The microprocessor 19 is microprogrammed in order to perform a number offunctions, e.g.:

the acquisition of information coming from the sensors 13,

memorization of information coming from the sensors 13, with the dateand time of acquisition thereof,

management of communications with the supervision unit,

localized access control, schedule management, and regulation, withoutthe intervention of the supervision unit 11, and

all other functions which may be necessary for a Technical Management ofthe Building or a Centralized Administrative Management.

Microprogramming of the microprocessor 19 may be realized either fromthe supervision unit 11 or from the portable computer 20.

The microprocessor 19 comprises, in known fashion, a central unit, arandom-access memory, and a read-only memory which contains the programfor processing the functions defined above.

The various elements of a pre-automation device according to theinvention are mounted on a pre-cabling truss 25 in which the wiresbelonging to the pre-cabling system are arranged, as shown in FIG. 5.

The sensors 13_(a) and 13_(b) are connected respectively by cables22_(a) 22_(b) to terminals 24_(a), 24_(b) of the terminal board 13 byits rear face. These terminals 24_(a), 24_(b) are connected by the frontface of the terminal board, by the cables 27_(a), 27_(b) respectively,to two inputs 28_(a), 28_(b) of the inputs/outputs circuit 18.

The sensors 13_(x), 13_(y) and 13_(z) are connected by a bus 23 to aterminal 28 by its rear face of the terminal board. This terminal isconnected by the front face of the terminal board to an input terminal31 of the inputs/outputs circuit 18 by a cable 30.

Similarly, an actuating element 13' receives an electric signal, bymeans of an output terminal 32 of the inputs/outputs circuit 18, of afirst cable 33 which connects it to a terminal 35 of the terminal board14' by its front face, and of a second cable 36 between the rear face ofthe terminal 35 and the actuating element 13'.

The cables 22_(a), 22_(b), 23 and 36 belong to the pre-cabling networkand are connected to the terminal board 14, 14' by its rear face, whilethe cables 27_(a), 27_(b), 30 and 33 are put in place upon request andare connected to the terminal board by the front face.

The inputs/outputs terminals of the inputs/outputs circuit 18 may be ofany known type and each may comprise a coded marking 37 and a signallight 38.

The portable computer 20 is connected to the microprocessor 19 by meansof the cable 21, of an input terminal 39 of the terminal board 14, of anoutput terminal 40, and of a cable 41 connected to a special socket 42of the microprocessor 19. In a variant, the cable 21 may be connecteddirectly to the special socket 42.

For informational purposes, each pre-automation device is provided to beconnected to twenty-five sensors and/or actuating elements, and it istherefore necessary Ito install approximately forty devices for a systemhaving one thousand measuring points.

I claim:
 1. A system for monitoring sensors and controlling actuatingelements in a building comprising:a supervision unit for centrallycollecting information from said sensors and controlling said actuatingelements; a plurality of interconnection devices which connect to saidactuating elements and said sensors,comprising:(a) a plurality ofterminal boards connected to said sensors and actuating elements throughconductors of a first set of cables; (b) a microprocessor having aplurality of I/O connections, a portion of said I/O connections beingconnected to said terminal boards through conductors of a second set ofcables to transmit signals for controlling said actuating elements andfor receiving signals from said sensors; and a precabling system withinsaid building connecting said supervision unit to a remaining portion ofsaid I/O connections wherein said signals may be transferred to and fromsaid interconnection devices and said supervision unit.
 2. The systemaccording to claim 1 wherein said first set of cables are prewiredcables in said building.
 3. The system according to claim 1 wherein saidmicroprocessor includes a socket for connection to a portable computerwhich programs said microprocessor.
 4. The system according to claim 2wherein said interconnecting devices are supported on said precablingsystem.
 5. The system according to claim 2 wherein said portion of saidI/O connections include a star connection to some of said sensors and abuss connection to other of said sensors.